Radiation detectors which utilize thermopiles to detect the heat flux from target surfaces have been used in various applications. An indication of the temperature of a target surface may be provided as a function of the measured heat flux. One such application is the testing of electrical equipment. Another application has been in the scanning of cutaneous tissue to locate injured subcutaneous regions. An injury results in increased blood flow which in turn results in a higher surface temperature. Yet another application is that of tympanic temperature measurement. A tympanic device relies on a measurement of the temperature of the tympanic membrane area in the ear of an animal or human by detection of infrared radiation as an alternative to traditional sublinqual thermometers.